The present invention is concerned with an arrangement for bearing a non-driven wheel, comprising a carrier unit, a wheel hub and an anti-friction bearing.
In arrangements of the afore-going type, the carrier unit frequently comprises an axle journal in communication with a holder on the vehicle side, preferably a plate of an axle means arranged vertically and in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. To that effect, a mud plate is clamped between the plate on the vehicle side and an internally arranged flange of the axle journal, which mud plate, in drum-type brake designs, serves at the same time as a carrier unit for the brake cylinder and the brake bodies. Normally, a bipartite inner ring of an anti-friction bearing is arranged on the axle journal, with the outer ring thereof being forced into a wheel hub to be axially locked, for example, by a Truarc lock ring. The journal, at the end side thereof, is provided with a screw thread on which is mounted a nut by which the bipartite inner ring can be clamped for adjusting the anti-friction bearing. Secured to the wheel hub is a brake disc or brake drum, with a connection between wheel hub and brake disc or brake drum suitable for transmitting the brake forces being established only by the connecting means by way of which the wheel rim is secured to the wheel hub.
In addition, the anti-friction bearing industry has provided systems for bearing driven or non-driven vehicle wheels wherein the inner and/or the outer ring of the anti-friction bearing is of a special design in order to enable it to assume additional functions. Moreover, solutions are being offered in which the inner and/or the outer ring of the anti-friction bearing can be eliminated because the wheel hub and/or the axle journal are made of anti-friction bearing material so that they can be directly used as roll-off faces.
Although the number of bearing components can in this way be decreased, as a rule, larger quantities of high-quality anti-friction bearing material are to be employed so that no or, at best, negligible economic advantages can be achieved.
It is, therefore, the object of the invention to so improve a system of the afore-described type that the number of components of the bearing unit can be reduced with no need of using additional anti-friction bearing material and without hampering thereby the assembly.